History Main / BleakBorderBase

The bleak base is bad when the hero arrives. To ramp up the tension, expect for some further challenges: [[TheRadioDiesFirst communications being cut off]], [[PowerOutagePlot power failure]], or an [[BigStormEpisode epic storm]] (wind, rain, snow, solar flares, etc, as appropriate to the setting). Now that our ragtag band of defenders have even more disadvantages, they face the big challenges: a horde of enemies/aliens/monsters.

Related to CitadelCity. The main difference is that it is more obscure, and is usually a military or similar station rather than being a whole city. Typical of a {{Western}} when our hero is assigned to a remote fort in a hostile territory. In military stories, it is a small outpost in an isolated region that is menaced by enemy forces. In SpaceOpera it might be a [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale whole desolate planet]]. Compare EerieArcticResearchStation, a civilian equivalent.

** Ghostgate is the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] stronghold/shrine situated at [[ChokepointGeography the only (official) opening]] in the [[TheGreatWall Ghostfence]] which surrounds [[{{Mordor}} Red Mountain]]. It surrounded by a bleak and ashy landscape, while it is quite solemn on the inside, populated only by the Temple's priests, [[ChurchPolice Ordinators]], and [[ChurchMilitant Buoyant Armigers]] who are the only line of defense standing between the [[TheCorruption blighted and Corprus creatures]] on the inside and the rest of the island. It also serves as the final safe haven at the end of the main quest [[spoiler:when you must enter Red Mountain to defeat [[BigBad Dagoth Ur]]]].

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' gives us Camp Forlorn Hope, an NCR military outpost located just south of the Hoover Dam. Not only is the place rather grim, with only tin shacks and sandbags for shelter and cover, but the troops that are there are underequipped, unhealthy and demoralised. To make matters worse, they're not far away from Caesar's Legion, whose recent attacks have limited their efforts to patrol the area. Fortunately, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can make life for them much easier, partly by taking pressure off the NCR further west which allows them to deploy better troops as reinforcements, and partly by doing in the Legionnaires that are harassing them nearby.

* The cities of Reyhanli, Kilis, and Nusaybin in Turkey lie right along the Syrian border and had front-row seats to the horrific CivilWar taking place across the border. They all bore the weight of [[WarRefugees escaping refugees]], cross-border rocket attacks, and bombings. The surrounding countrysides remain a security hot-spot and witness frequent clashes.

* A rather interesting one is BRP ''Sierra Madre.'' As you might have guessed by the name, the outpost is actually a ship permanently ran aground on a shoal since 1999 to enforce Philippine claims in Spratty Island dispute. China doesn't take too kindly to the outpost existence and has tried to use their coast guard to prevent resupply, but the Philippines just air drops in supplies and new personnel (fortunately you can at least leave by boat).

Related to CitadelCity. The main difference is that it is more obscure, and is usually a military or similar station rather than being a whole city. Typical of a {{Western}} when our hero is assigned to a remote fort in a hostile territory. In SpaceOpera it might be a [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale whole desolate planet]]. Compare EerieArcticResearchStation, a civilian equivalent.

This is the place you will be sent when you are ReassignedToAntarctica. It is a lonely, crumbling facility in a [[GhibliHills bleak wilderness]] at the edge of the VestigialEmpire, with dated, poorly maintained equipment, irregular resupplying, and little or no communication with the main unit. The base is filled with misfits and reprobates, a veritable [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Garrison Of Thieves And Whores]] but you are all that stands against the [[RapePillageAndBurn ravages]] of the BarbarianTribe on the other side of the border.

Since there's no realistic way to call for help from headquarters in time, expect a blood-spattered LastStand, in which our hero tells the misfits "ItHasBeenAnHonor". Now TheCavalry may show up in time to save a few defenders, but this is unlikely.

Since there's no realistic way to call for help from headquarters in time, expect a blood-spattered LastStand.

This is the place you will be sent when you are ReassignedToAntarctica. It is a lonely, crumbling facility in a [[GhibliHills bleak wilderness]] at the edge of the VestigialEmpire, with poor resources and equipment, irregular resupplying, and little or no communication with the main unit. The base is filled with misfits and reprobates, a veritable [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Garrison Of Thieves And Whores]] but you are all that stands against the [[RapePillageAndBurn ravages]] of the BarbarianTribe on the other side of the border.

The bleak base is bad when the hero arrives. To ramp up the tension, expect for some further challenges: [[TheRadioDiesFirst communications being cut off]], [[PowerOutagePlot power failure]], or an [[BigStormEpisode epic storm]] (wind, rain, snow, solar flares, etc, as appropriate to the setting. Now that our ragtag bsnd defenders have even more disadvantages, they face the big challenges: a horde of enemies/aliens/monsters.

The bleak base is bad when the hero arrives. To ramp up the tension, expect for some further challenges: [[TheRadioDiesFirst communications being cut off]], [[PowerOutagePlot power failure]].

The bleak base is bad when the hero arrives. To ramp up the tension, expect for some further challenges: [[TheRadioDiesFirst communications being cut off]].

This is the place you will be sent when you are ReassignedToAntarctica. It is a lonely place in a [[GhibliHills bleak wilderness]] at the edge of the VestigialEmpire, with poor resources, irregular resupplying, and little or no communication with the main unit. The base is filled with misfits and reprobates, a veritable [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Garrison Of Thieves And Whores]] but you are all that stands against the [[RapePillageAndBurn ravages]] of the BarbarianTribe on the other side of the border.

This is the place you will be sent when you are ReassignedToAntarctica. It is a lonely place in a [[GhibliHills bleak wilderness]] at the edge of the VestigialEmpire, with poor resources, irregular resupplying, and little or no communication with the main unit. The base is filled with misfits and reprobates, an veritable [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Garrison Of Thieves And Whores]] but you are all that stands against the [[RapePillageAndBurn ravages]] of the BarbarianTribe on the other side of the border.

This is the place you will be sent when you are ReassignedToAntarctica. It is a lonely place in a [[GhibliHills bleak wilderness]] at the edge of the VestigialEmpire, under-resourced and often just as lacking in staff, who are a mix of misfits and reprobates. Resupplying is done irregularly and thre is little or no communication with the main unit. You and your fellows are a [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Garrison Of Thieves And Whores]] but you are all that stands against the [[RapePillageAndBurn ravages]] of the BarbarianTribe on the other side of the border.

Related to CitadelCity. The main difference is that it is more obscure, and is usually a military or similar station rather than being a whole city. Typical of a {{Western}} when pur hero is assigned to a remote fort in a hostile territory. In SpaceOpera it might be a [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale whole desolate planet]]. Compare EerieArcticResearchStation, a civilian equivalent.

This is the place you will be sent when you are ReassignedToAntarctica. It is a lonely place in a [[GhibliHills bleak wilderness]] at the edge of the VestigialEmpire, under-resourced and often just as lacking in staff. You and your fellows are a [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores Garrison Of Thieves And Whores]] but you are all that stands against the [[RapePillageAndBurn ravages]] of the BarbarianTribe on the other side of the border.

Related to CitadelCity. The main difference is that it is more obscure, and is usually a military or similar station rather than being a whole city. Typical of a {{Western}}. In SpaceOpera it might be a [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale whole planet]]. Compare EerieArcticResearchStation, a civilian equivalent.

* In ''Film/{{Armageddon}}'', before the two shuttle crews go to the moon, they stop at the Mir space station to refuel; there, they meet only one guy named Lev. Shortly after, a leak happened and the base is blown to bits, although the crew managed to escape.

* Blood Gulch in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' comes across this way, with both enemy teams generally cut off from the rest of the Red and Blue factions and indeed most of human civilisation. Instead of actively fighting for their lives, however, both teams spend their time dicking around and swearing at one another in between the unusual shenanigans they get up to. [[spoiler: It later turns out that this design was very much deliberate on Project Freelancer's part, allowing them to test out various simulations and equipment out of sight.]]
* ''Machinima/YogscastMinecraftSeries'': In ''Shadow of Israphel'', Knight_Peculier recounts his backstory to LetsPlay/LewisBrindley and LetsPlay/SimonLane in one of these, or rather on top of one of these buried under several metres of sand. The area in question was at one point a prominent Templar outpost, but gradually fell into decline and was eventually submerged entirely.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/DeadSpace3 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deadspace3base_1996.png]]]] [[caption-width-right:350:"Welcome to [[IceLevel Tau]] [[DeathWorld Volantis]]!" Haha! But seriously, where's the beaches on the brochure?]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Videogame/DeadSpace3 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deadspace3base_1996.png]]]] [[caption-width-right:350:"Welcome to [[IceLevel Tau]] [[DeathWorld Volantis]]!" Haha! But seriously, where's the beaches on the brochure?]]

* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' gives us Camp Forlorn Hope, an NCR military outpost located just south of the Hoover Dam. Not only is the place rather grim, with only tin shacks and sandbags for shelter and cover, but the troops that are there are underequipped, unhealthy and demoralised. To make matters worse, they're not far away from Caesar's Legion, whose recent attacks have limited their efforts to patrol the area. Fortunately, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can make life for them much easier, partly by taking pressure off the NCR further east which allows them to deploy better troops as reinforcements, and partly by doing in the Legionnaires that are harassing them nearby.

* Ord Mantell, the starting planet of the Trooper and Smuggler classes in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', is presented as such: a far from civilized world, populated mostly by monsters and military bases, but essential to both sides in the ongoing war because of the resources it allows to control.

* ''Film/KingArthur'': Arthur and his dwindling number of warriors serve at a Roman outpost near Hadrian's Wall (the Roman Empire's Northern most border until the end of Roman occupation in 410) in Britain in 467.

* ''Film/{{Ravenous}}'' takes place primarily at Fort Spencer, which is an example of this trope; it's in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which at the time the film is set, mark the United States' western frontier. However, as the story goes on, it becomes very clear that the danger comes from the other settlers and not the native people on the other side of the border.

Related to CitadelCity. The main difference is that it is more obscure, and is usually a military or similar station rather than being a whole city. Typical of a {{Western}}. In SpaceOpera it might be a [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale whole planet]]. Compare BleakArcticResearchStation, a civilian equivalent.

Related to CitadelCity. The main difference is that it is more obscure, and is usually a military or similar station rather than being a whole city. Typical of a {{Western}}. In SpaceOpera it might be a [[SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale whole planet]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal, this happens to an incompetent and utterly undiplomatic diplomat, who Lord Vetinari cannot sack as he is a Selachii and the old noble families have privileges. Sir Michaelmas Selachii is sent to a sucession of remote out-of-the-way postings in underfunded consulates in places where nothing of importance is there for him to wreck or provoke Incidents in. He is first sent to [[DarkestAfrica Howondaland]] where he provokes his hosts with cutting references about their version of the Code FourOneNineScam. He is then posted to the Uberwaldean backwater of Muning where he completely fails to spot a war brewing that had Disc-wide consequences. After that, in ''Fanfic/GapYearAdventures'', he becomes Ankh-Morporkian consul in En-el-Sams-La-Reisa - a remote Klatchian desert oasis whose name translates as That Place Where The Sun Shineth Not.[[note]]As the place is characterised by baking heat and remorseless sun, the name is figurative and metaphorical[[/note]] It is possible Vetinari, by this time, was very pissed off indeed. Elsewhere, a vainglorious and incompetent Army colonel, inexplicably sent to a sensitive jungle frontier where he fails to spot another war brewing, is shunted sideways and appointed Military Attaché to Aceria - a Discworld country otherwise known as the Great Outdoors, where nothing is likely to happen, ever, in a [[{{Eagleland}} post-colonial undeveloped prairie populated by the unwanted, tired, huddled, poor, dregs of every other nation]].

* ''Film/{{Ravenous}}'' takes place primarily at Fort Spencer, which is an example of this trope; it's in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which at the time the film is set, mark the United States' western frontier. However, as the story goes on, it becomes very clear that the danger comes from the other settlers, and not the native people on the other side of the border.

* PlayedForLaughs in the ''Literature/DetectiveJoeSandilands'' book ''The Damascened Blade'' takes place in a British fort on the Afghan border in the 1920s. The presence of motorcars and extended train lines has lately reduced the extremity of loneliness, and the fort is now playing host to a collection of wealthy and high ranking tourists who want to know what life on the frontier is really like, much to the dismay of the garrison.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' (and ''Series/GameOfThrones'', its live-action adaptation) the Wall at the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms is a desolate icy land and the Night's Watch manning it is largely composed of criminals and disgraced noblemen. By the time of the first novel their main stronghold, Castle Black, has been reduced to a crumbling ruin and their numbers are a fraction of the strength they need.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Deep Space 9 is this when Sisko et al. initially arrive, being a starbase on the very periphery of the Federation near an old enemy, the Cardassians, and Bajor, a planet still struggling back to its feet from a 50-year occupation. To make matters worse, the Cardassians trashed the place before handing it over to the Federation, and Sisko himself was considering retiring so he wouldn't have to raise his son out there. However because of the discovery of the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant it rapidly gains importance and loses the bleakness.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' module [=OA6=] ''Ronin Challenge''. In the BackStory the Shou Lung empire had hundreds of small forts that acted as border outposts in the Shao Mountains. They gave shelter to explorers, couriers and other travelers and protected against the bandits, wild animals, spirits and other monsters that roamed the area.

* ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}'' has a number of these, on the fringes of each House's space and especially in the Edge Worlds. Generally they belong to either police, criminals or miners.

* The cities of Reyhanli, Kilis and Nusaybin in Turkey lie right along the Syrian border and had front-row seats to the horrific CivilWar taking place across the border. They all bore the weight of [[WarRefugees escaping refugees]], cross-border rocket attacks and bombings. The surrounding countrysides remain a security hot-spot and witness frequent clashes.

* Rockall is an isolated island a long way out in the Atlantic. It is claimed by several countries, not for the barren stony outcrop itself, but because whoever gets it will have territorial rights over a large area of profitable seabed. Currently it is in British ownership and as the page image to ReassignedToAntarctica informs you, the British periodically (temporarily) garrison it just to make a PR point.

* A rather interesting one is BRP ''Sierra Madre.'' As you might have guessed by the name, the outpost is actually a ship permanently ran aground on a shoal since 1999 to enforce Philippine claims in Spratty Island dispute. China doesn't take too kindly to the outpost existence and has tried to use tier coast guard to prevent resupply, but the Philippines just air drops in supplies and new personnel (fortunately you can at least leave by boat).